My family has some fascinating stories of how twists of fate brought myself & my brother, sister and Reese cousins here.
This is the tale of two women Arie Tallent & Octavia Womack Reese- One died and one lived, so that we might have life.
This picture is my Great Grandmother Arie Tallent Reese(on the left) and my Great Grandfather Robert Walter Reese's first wife Octavia Womack Reese on the right. It was taken in the 1890s before Octavia's death. Octavia and My Great Grandfather Robert Walter Reese had married in 1880 in Franklin NC, moved to Highlands NC on June 1, 1885 from Franklin, NC and had seven kids together. On March 5, 1899 Octavia died of complications less than a month and a half after the birth of my Great Aunt Alice Octavia Reese Potts. Arie Tallent was the midwife for the birth of Alice. One year and nine months later my Great Grandfather Robert Walter married the midwife Arie Tallent on January 1, 1902, and their first child together was my Grandfather Robert Lee Reese born October 7,1902. Arie & Robert Walter went on to have six kids. So my Great Grandfather had 13 total kids with two wives! The funny story comes from my Great Aunt Alice Octavia Reese Potts who told me back in the 90s that my Great Grandfather Robert Walter told the family that if anything ever happened to Octavia he was gonna marry the midwife for his kids, Arie who was 20 years younger. And that came to pass after Octavia got sick when my Great Aunt Alice was born and as a result myself and my brother & sister and cousins and our families made it into this life.
Both wives are buried beside Robert Walter Reese, one on each side at Highlands Memorial Park in Highlands, NC. I'm sorry Octavia had to die so young(she was only 41), because it left my Great Aunt Alice without a mother. But when I interviewed my Great Aunt Alice back in the 90s we discussed this and she told me had Octavia not died, I or my dad would have never lived. Alice loved my dad fiercely and was so kind to us in sharing pictures and family stories. In fact the oldest pictures I have of our family are from her. Alice told me my Great Grandmother Arie raised her as her own and was always kind, giving and caring. And she said my Great Grandfather Robert Walter Reese was drop dead funny and had a one liner for every situation.
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